Planting CONSIDERATIONS

Seeds of Knowledge

EARLY PLANTING ADVICE FROM TECHNICAL AGRONOMISTS

DAN KOEHLER
DEKALB® ASGROW® TECHNICAL AGRONOMIST WALTERS, MINNESOTA

Dan Koehler, a DEKALB Asgrow technical agronomist serving southern Minnesota, is a great source of local knowledge. Here he shares some of his management recommendations for a successful planting season.

WITH THE SOIL PROFILE BEING ON THE DRIER SIDE, WHAT IS SOME ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE GROWERS AS THEY PREPARE FOR PLANTING IN 2021?

First, make sure to take time to thoroughly go through your planters and perform proper maintenance before going to the field. With the potential for soils to be dry and mellow this spring, I believe having proper down pressure across the whole planter will be critical to achieve a uniform final stand and high yield potential.

In most years, the pinch rows in the center of the planter yield less because of the extra weight of the planter and compaction from the tractor. In 2019, we saw the opposite. The center pinch rows yielded better than the rows out on the wings because the additional weight improved seed-to-soil contact, leading to better emergence.

A lot can change between now and planting, but with the soil profile being on the drier side, it looks like we could see planting conditions similar to 2019. If you have questions, make sure you reach out to your local implement dealer for help on correctly setting down pressure. It is also a good idea to get out and check your down pressure periodically as you’re planting, especially as you move from field to field or one management practice to another. Achieving an optimum final plant stand is the first component of yield.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO START PLANTING?

This is a tough question, and we are all much smarter about a month after we are done planting. It seems every year there is a planting window that was the best and one that you wish you would have left the seed in the bag. I think it is important to make sure you spread your risk as much as you can. Don’t plant too many acres in any one planting window; instead, try to spread the planting out over at least two to three planting windows. I do agree that’s easier said than done.

If we are planting in April, we want the soils fit, average soil temperatures trending toward 50 F and a favorable forecast. The rule of thumb I use to determine if soil conditions are fit is to grab a hand full of soil from the top 2 to 4 inches and form a ball with it. If that ball breaks apart when you throw it to the ground, there’s a good chance the soils are fit. If the ball doesn’t break apart, you run the risk of creating a hard pan with tillage or sidewall compaction with the planter. Planting early into cooler soils can put additional stress on the seed, so increasing your planting population 5% to 10% may be required to achieve your desired final plant stand.

BRENT WOLKEN
DEKALB® ASGROW® TECHNICAL AGRONOMIST PIERCE, NEBRASKA

Farmers face different challenges each year, and getting crops off to a good start is key for strong, season-long performance. Brent Wolken, a DEKALB Asgrow technical agronomist serving northeast Nebraska, is a great source of local knowledge.

WHAT ARE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS FARMERS SHOULD CONSIDER AS WE NEAR PLANTING SEASON?

There are a couple of key things to consider. Two of those are soil conditions and a planting priority list. Knowing which of your hybrids are “plant first”-type hybrids allows you to be able to take full advantage of optimal weather and soil conditions.

The best way to make a planting priority list is to know the emergence and early-season growth scores of your hybrids that you intend to plant. A product such as DKC61-41RIB Brand Blend is one of the top emerging products in the DEKALB lineup, so it should be one of the first products you plant in your operation to help utilize that excellent emergence. In comparison, other products that have more average emergence should be planted toward the middle to end of your planting priorities.

Another factor to consider during planting season is soil conditions. Last year, we saw a larger than expected number of emergence issues due to poor soil conditions. In some cases, the ground was too wet underneath, and we saw air pockets in the seed furrow where the closing wheels failed to firmly pack the seed, causing poor seed-to-soil contact. In other areas, seed laid in dry soil wasn’t able to germinate properly. Making sure the soil conditions are optimum to plant is vital in ensuring that the seed can reach its full potential.

If we have a mishap during planting, emergence and early growth can drastically affect overall yield potential at harvest, so we need to be as close to perfect as we can during planting to fully capitalize on your investment.

JAMIE LONG
DEKALB® ASGROW® TECHNICAL AGRONOMIST FREEBURG, ILLINOIS

Jamie Long, a DEKALB® Asgrow® technical agronomist serving southern Illinois, is a great source of local knowledge. Here she shares some of her management recommendations for a successful planting season.

WHAT POPULATION SHOULD I PLANT MY SOYBEANS AT?

The question of seeding rate in soybeans can result in several different answers and is not clear-cut. Most research data has shown that soybean fields can still be at 100% of yield potential even at final stands that most of us would think seem thin enough to need replanted.

For optimum yield potential, most try to target a final stand of 100,000 to 130,000 plants per acre, depending on the field productivity. In order to get an estimate on what your final stand will be, it’s important to take multiple factors into consideration, including but not limited to seed germination (%), planting conditions, seed treatment and planter efficiency.

Planting date also plays a role in planting population. As we get later into the season, increase population to increase the number of plants and therefore the number of nodes in the field to make up for lack of vegetative growth. All in all, paying attention to final stands can help you adjust, if necessary, in the future to reach the greatest maximum percent of yield potential.

WHY INVEST IN SEED TREATMENT?

One topic that has come up most of the winter and early spring is around early planting of soybeans. When discussing management of those soybeans, one subject that is quick to come up is around the investment in seed treatment. As growers are planting early, many times it’s going to be into cooler and possibly wetter conditions than what we are accustomed to with soybean planting.

This environment can be stressful for a soybean seedling and is also a prime environment for seedling diseases such as Pythium and infection of sudden death syndrome (SDS). In addition to seedling diseases, the soybean seedlings are also prone to insect feeding by both above- and below-ground insects.

Research has found that especially as we plant earlier, treated soybeans reach levels closer to 100% of maximum yield potential versus untreated seed. Therefore, to protect those soybean seedlings, it is critical to include a seed treatment that includes a fungicide and insecticide component at minimum, and a treatment that protects from SDS may be warranted.

JEFF FULS
DEKALB® ASGROW® TECHNICAL AGRONOMIST BROOKINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA

Farmers face different challenges each year, and getting crops off to a good start is key for strong, season-long performance. Jeff Fuls, a DEKALB® Asgrow® technical agronomist serving northeast South Dakota, is a great source of local knowledge.

WHAT'S A GOOD SEEDBED LOOK LIKE FOR SOYBEANS?

Many times, we don’t look at soybeans the same way we look at corn when preparing our soils. It is true there is more of a yield impact from uneven emergence or stand loss on corn than soybeans, but maintaining a proper bed for soybeans is important as well. The tillage types chosen for your farm make quite a difference in what that bed for soybeans should look like.

The majority of the soybeans seem to follow a corn crop. No matter what your tillage practices are, they all have the same stand-robbing enemy known as corn residue. Now we deal with residue differently based on our tillage practices, but making sure we move the residue out of the way while planting is key. A soybean seed planted directly into a cornstalk or root ball simply will not germinate well — and if it is lucky enough to come up, it will be a very weak plant that has low soybean production.

Setting your planter on soybeans to avoid planting into residue is key. Make sure planting depth is checked throughout planting. For those using air seeders or drills, make sure the seed is getting in the ground and not bouncing off the residue on its way to the seedbed. For planters, row cleaners should be set aggressively enough to move residue, but not leave trenches behind or do actual tillage in the ground. Also, just like corn, make sure seed-to-soil contact is good, and avoid wet conditions that can lead to sidewall compaction and uneven emergence.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PLANTING SOYBEANS EARLY?

Growers in general are gravitating toward planting their soybeans in the spring earlier and earlier every year. It is not unusual to see soybeans planted at the end of April anymore. Planting soybeans earlier in the spring allows the plant to harvest more sunlight throughout the growing season. Harvesting more of the sun’s energy by planting earlier increases the number of potential flowers on the plant, which increases the potential pods and yield potential.

This seems like a no-brainer, but there are some agronomic watchouts. Seed germination at cooler soil temperatures (below 60 F) is slow. Slower germination makes the seeds more susceptible to soil-borne pathogens such as Pythium, Fusarium or Phytophthora. If infection occurs, the seedling can be affected in a negative manner. In severe cases, plants will be killed below ground, which is often referred to as damping off. Even if the plants are able to emerge, they are not always out of the woods, as post-emergence seedling death can also occur from these diseases. The consequences are often yield loss due to a loss of population in soybean stand or even replanting the crop.

We can also see slower crop canopy from stand losses, which can lead to more weeds and additional herbicide applications. Multiple mode of action seed treatments such as Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions are almost a must when planting soybeans early. They can minimize the effects of early-season conditions that are conducive to soil-borne diseases and keep your yield potential on track so you can capture the yield potential from planting your soybeans early. As always, stay safe this spring and have a great planting season.

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Planting CONSIDERATIONS

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EARLY PLANTING ADVICE FROM TECHNICAL AGRONOMISTS

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